Are you a busy family who likes to play hard and try new activities? It can be difficult trying to budget for all of the fun things you want to do on vacation, but at Beaches Resorts, it’s all included! Beaches vacations are perfect for families who love water sports, land activities, Kids Clubs, Sesame Street characters, waterslides and all of the entertainment a resort has to offer.
Here are the top family activities at Beaches so you don't miss out on any of the fun! (Psst ... your favorite froggy friends are offering some frogtastic deals on Beaches vacations!)
Top Family Activities at Beaches Resorts
While your room price might be higher at Beaches than at another resort, once you factor in that all of your food, drinks and activities are included in the cost, you’ll realize that a Beaches vacation is a hoppin' deal. It’s such a relief not to keep opening your wallet on vacation, but it also gives you peace of mind that if your family does not love an activity (maybe those water trikes are more work than you had expected or sailing is harder than it looks), you can always move on to something else. You can lose that cash register in the back of your brain and balance sheet where you worry about whether you are getting the most fun for your money for an activity.
Water Activities at Beaches Resorts
If you have never been to the Caribbean, you are in for a treat. The turquoise waters are beautiful and calm, plus the seawater is invitingly warm! In Turks and Caicos, the water temperature range is 79 to 85 degrees. In Jamaica, it’s 80 to 85 degrees. Naturally, you’ll want to swim and play in the water.
All three Beaches resorts have standard included water sports. All Beaches Resorts include:
- Unlimited scuba diving for certified divers (beginners must take a three-hour resort course for about $120 before diving. Getting scuba certified or doing underwater activities costs extra.) All certified divers are required to do a scuba orientation on the day of arrival.
- Snorkeling
- Aqua trikes
- Hobie cats
- Windsurfing
- Paddleboarding
- Kayaking
- Glass-bottom boats
Each resort may have a few water sports unique to it, as well. For example, Beaches Negril offers water skiing, wakeboarding and kneeboarding. Ocho Rios has banana boat rides. Turks and Caicos has a surf simulator.
Of course, at all three resorts, you can simply swim in the ocean and dig in the sand. Negril and Turks and Caicos sit on much bigger beaches than Ocho Rios, which has a private beach. The water sports dock is conveniently located at each resort.
Water Parks and Pools
Besides the ocean for swimming, each resort has multiple pools and its own water park. You might hop into a pool volleyball game, go for a swim or brave the biggest water slides.
The biggest water park is at Turks and Caicos, which is also the biggest resort. The smallest water park is at Negril, the smallest resort. Both Turks and Caicos and Negril have lazy rivers in their water parks. All three water parks have large slides, as well as small slides and areas for smaller tadpoles to safely splash around. Older kids will find more excitement at the larger water parks at Beaches Turks and Caicos and Ocho Rios.
Surf’s up at Turks and Caicos, which has the only surf simulator in the Caribbean! Turks and Caicos also has the most pools overall with 10 pools across its five villages. All aboard! You and your tadpoles can take a choo-choo train ride around the resort, which brings us up to land activities and sports.
Land Activities at Beaches Resorts
Sports
We frogs love splashing in the water, but some of the top family activities at Beaches are on land. The three Beaches resorts offer:
- Basketball
- Pool tables
- Table tennis
- Board games
- Fitness centers
- Tennis (both day and night)
- Lawn chess
- Croquet
- Shuffleboard
- ... and more!
Individual resorts may also offer soccer, billiards, bocce ball, volleyball, horseshoes, cards and other fun sports and outdoor games and competitions with other guests.
Golf
Golf is somewhat included in Jamaica locations for adults and kids. The golf course is at a nearby Sandals resort (an adults-only sister resort to Beaches). Your greens fees are included. Tadpoles can tee off after noon and enjoy complimentary kids' golf lessons twice a week. If you are staying at Ocho Rios, transportation to golf is included (it's about a 30-minute ride). If you are staying in Negril, however, you’ll have to pay for the three-hour ride. You must have a caddy (about $20) and carts do cost extra. As far as golf goes, those fees are quite small, but it's good to know that the golf course is the one place to have cash on you.
Indoor Fun Out of the Sun
That Caribbean sun is strong, so you’ll want some indoor options when the sun is at its brightest. All three Beaches have fully included Xbox lounges and Trench Town game rooms with foosball, air hockey, electronic basketball, music, flat-screen TVs and more. Check out board games for some relaxing family fun out of the sun. You can also visit the fitness center and take some classes.
You can always visit the spa, but that costs extra. Go for a heavenly and relaxing escape, or bring the kids for some special pampering with treatments designed just for them!
Entertainment at Beaches Resorts
Get ready for beach parties, dance lessons, talent shows, karaoke, bonfires and live music. Tadpoles will be hopping for the Sesame Street parades and stage shows. Teens will find their own fun at supervised nightclubs just for them. You can do it all, or escape the scene for some quiet time.
Upon arrival, you'll want to check schedules and find out what activities are hoppening that week so you can plan your days around the top family activities at Beaches that interest your family. Each resort has its own schedule for weekly and nightly events. They can be subject to change, but here’s a look at a typical schedule for each resort so you can plan ahead, see what you can look forward to and bring the right outfits if you want to participate. Actual days may vary and are subject to change.
Negril's weekly events include:
- Sunday: Island Night
- Monday: Jamaica Day
- Tuesday: Sandals Select Cocktails & Caribbean Night
- Wednesday: Love Hop and Chocolate Gala
- Thursday: Pirate Beach Party
- Friday: Reggae Fest
- Saturday: WaterPark Party
Ocho Rios' weekly events include:
- Sunday: White Night and Chocolate Buffet, plus General Manager's Welcome Wine and Cheese Party
- Monday: Jamaica Day
- Tuesday: Festival of the Arts (talent show), plus Sandals Select Cocktail Party
- Wednesday: Carnival Street Party
- Thursday: Reggae Fest, plus Concierge Cocktail Party
- Friday: Caribbean Beach Party
- Saturday: Family Fiesta
Turks and Caicos' weekly events include:
- Monday: Managers Jamboree (for families) and Sesame Street Character Dining Breakfast (for a fee)
- Wednesday: Sandals Select Luncheon (for families)
- Wednesday Evenings: Sesame Street Live Parade
- Friday: Sesame Street Character Dining Breakfast (for a fee)
- Daily: Sesame Street activities (The Beaches Caribbean Adventure with Sesame Street)
- Plus, daytime and nighttime shows take place weekly! They may include Creativiva musical theatre productions that bring to life acrobatic performances, singing, dancing, acting and technology.
- Late Night Chocolate Buffet
- Weekly Loyalty & Travel BBQ Beach Party
Sesame Street Entertainment and Themed Activities
Besides the Sesame Street Character parades and stage shows, your resort may have fun family activities at Beaches. Look for talent contests, costume contests and various opportunities to learn and play with, or inspired by, Sesame Street characters, such as:
- Everyday Heroes Club with Super Grover: Join everyone's favorite super hero on an age-appropriate kindness journey to see that not all heroes wear capes.
- Story time with Sesame Street Friends: Dive into a world of adventure through the love of reading with a Sesame Street Pal.
- Bake cookies, but watch out for the hungry Cookie Monster, who is sure to stop by for a taste test.
- Surprise tea time with Abby Cadabby and Elmo: Imagine a tea party, if you will, and help Elmo plan a surprise party for Abby Cadabby. Everyone will be playing dress-up, wrapping presents and making cards for this imaginative tea time.
- For an educational outing, you can make number magic with number games with the Count or learn the Letter of the Day with Sesame Street pals.
- Explore the moon with Elmo.
- Make puppets with Bert and Ernie.
- Move & Groove with Zoe and Rosita.
- Rock 'n' roll dance party with Elmo and Rosita.
- Do amazing art with Julia.
Kids Camps at Beaches Resorts
If you are bringing kids with you, you no doubt want a lot of family time on your vacation. But you can also drop them off for Kids Camp activities that will excite them and allow them to meet friends their same age. With hours generally from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., your tadpoles will be safe and busy while you go for a scuba dive or romantic meal or drink at an adults-only restaurant or bar. Here’s a quick look at what the different age groups are up to at Kids Camp:
- Infant Program for Ages 0 to 2: Your baby will be taken care of by certified nannies in a climate-controlled nursery filled with cribs, strollers, high chairs, rocking chairs and everything your little one could ever need.
- Toddler Program for Ages 3 to 4: At Kids Camp, potty-trained 3- to 4-year-olds are supervised by certified nannies. Tadpoles can play in toddler pools, go shell collecting, get their face painted, go on treasure hunts, play with puppets, have costume time, watch magic shows and build sandcastles.
- Navigators Program for Ages 5 to 7: At Kids Camp, your froglets can participate in beach science, beach olympics, talent shows, treasure hunts, arts and crafts and more.
- Adventurers Program for Ages 8 to 10: Your school-age adventurous kids can participate in exciting scavenger hunts, beach soccer, capture the flag, water pong, reggae jam sessions and more.
- Tweens Program for Ages 11 to 14: From dive–in movies, to karaoke, to a whole world of water sports and activities, the Kids Camp keeps tweens stay engaged with fun just for them! Sporty tweens can take to the sands in beach soccer, beach volleyball, flag football and more.
- Teen Program for Ages 15 to 17: Teens get their own special spaces and places to hang out and meet others with pizza bars, soda bars and their own "nightclub," Club Liquid, until 11 p.m. Teens can enjoy group water sports, boat cruises, pool olympics, tennis clinics, karaoke, discos, dance parties, talent shows and more.
Nannies and Kids Clubs are all included, but all resorts also offer private childcare for an hourly fee. Special Needs One-on-One Beach Buddies are also available for an hourly fee..
Excursions and Add-Ons at Beaches Resorts
There is so much to do at a Beaches property that’s included in your trip! However, you might want to explore the area outside the resort, take a boat trip or look at some of the extra add-on experiences at the resorts. Take a catamaran ride, climb waterfalls and jump in freshwater in Jamaica, or go for a dune buggy ride. You can book your excursions before your trip if you find something you'd love to do. You can have Sesame Street pals tuck your tadpole in for the night, make lasting memories with a character photo session, enjoy a character breakfast or even a Sesame Street birthday party.
Do you think you can find something to do among the top family activities at Beaches? Hopfully we've given you plenty to think about and look forward to on your upcoming Beaches vacation.
Related: What Is (and Isn't) Included in a Beaches Vacation
Keep hopping!
